Grades

Grades

Cumulative GPA

Your cumulative GPA (grade point average) is listed on official and unofficial transcripts. Because of educational privacy laws, the Registrar’s office cannot give you your GPA over the phone. You can view your GPA on SU Online or request it in-person at the Redhawk Axis desk in the University Services Bldg. Photo ID is required.

Current students can access their unofficial transcript on SU Online by following these steps:

UNITS OF CREDIT

Units of Credit: One quarter hour of credit is given for each hour of class per week for 10 weeks. Five quarter hours is typically 50 lectures of 50 minutes each. A 100 minute laboratory period is considered equivalent to a 50 minute lecture, except in Engineering and Nursing where required laboratory hours may be greater.

GRADE CHANGE

A course grade can be challenged by following the procedure outlined in the Academic Grading Grievance (2004-07) policy. Please be aware that for Fall, Winter, and Summer quarters, the procedure must be initiated by the close of business on the third Friday of the following quarter. For Spring quarter, the procedure must be initiated by the close of business on the third Friday of Fall quarter.

Dean's List and President's List

The Dean’s List at Seattle University recognizes student academic achievement for undergraduates and is published by each School/College after grades are processed each quarter. To qualify for the Dean’s List, you must earn at least a 3.5 GPA for the quarter and have completed a minimum of 12 graded credits. Pass/fail and credit/fail classes do not count toward these 12 credits.

The President’s List recognizes academic excellence by undergraduate students each quarter after grades have been processed and is acknowledged by a letter from the Provost’s Office. To make the list, students must earn at least a 3.9 GPA for a given term and must have completed a minimum of 12 graded credits. Pass/fail and credit/fail classes do not count toward these 12 credits.

Effective Fall 2008: no longer notated on transcript.

Major GPA Calculation

Procedure to Calculate Your Cumulative GPA: Multiply the number of credits for each course by the numeric grade achieved for that course (see below) to determine grade points. Divide the sum of the grade points by the total number of credits attempted.

Note to current students: Your cumulative, major and/or minor GPAs are displayed on your SU Online Program Evaluation. Note to former students: Your cumulative GPA is displayed on your official or unofficial transcript, but your program GPA is not on an official or unofficial transcript. Use the procedure below to calculate your major, minor, or last two year GPAs.

If a course is a repeat (as indicated by an R next to the credits, for the first attempt on the official transcript), the credits and quality points from the first attempt are excluded, only the second attempt is used in calculation.

To calculate your major, minor, or last two years GPA: Follow the calculation process outlined below on just those courses that apply to your major, minor, or last two years of course work. Your courses and grades are listed on your unofficial or official transcript. You can find which courses apply to your major or minor by referring to the Catalog from the year you were accepted into your major. If you are a current student, you can verify the Catalog year that applies to you and the courses required for your major or minor by accessing your Program Evaluation on SU Online.

Class Level

Non-Traditional Grading Options

An “IP” is the symbol used on the academic transcript to indicate the current quarter’s courses.

M (Missing)

An “M” is the symbol used on grade reports to inform a student that a grade has not been received from the instructor.

P (Pass)

The P grade is assigned when a student successfully completes an undergraduate course after electing the pass/fail grading option for a general elective course. Failure to achieve at the minimum D- level results in a grade of F, which will affect the grade point average.

The pass/fail grading option is not available for graduate students.

Undergraduate students are allowed to choose the pass/fail grading option for courses which will be used towards general electives or minors only (see note below). Core courses, college requirements, and major requirements cannot be taken pass/fail.

Only one course per quarter may be taken pass/fail and must be approved prior to the add/drop and change grading option date of the term of registration. This date can be found on the calendar on the Office of the Registrar web site.

If a student earns a D- or above in a course where the pass/fail grading options has been chosen, the grade on the transcript will appear as a "P" (pass). A failing grade will appear as "F". A pass (P) grade does not affect a student's cumulative GPA, while a fail (F) grade will be used in the computation of the cumulative GPA.

Used for courses designated by individual departments as mandatory credit/fail.

CR/F: Music practice courses, some field experiences, internships, independent study in the Albers School of Business and Economics, some graduate courses, and other courses so designated by individual departments are graded only credit (CR) or fail (F). When passed with the minimum acceptable standard of D- on the undergraduate level and C on the graduate level, the course will be graded CR and credit will be granted. There will be no effect on the grade point average. Should the student fail to satisfy the instructor’s minimal expectations, the course will be graded F and will be included in the computation of the grade point average. Schools/Colleges may have a higher grade standard for what constitutes a CR (credit). Consult the appropriate school/college handbook for this information.

CR/NC: The CR/NC grading mode is reserved for undergraduate credit by examination. Minimum achievement level for receiving credit is C. Neither CR nor NC affects the grade point average. See Credit by Examination section of the Undergraduate Catalog. Grade assigned when credit by examination has been attempted and student did not achieve acceptable performance level of at least C. There is no effect on the grade point average.

N (No grade)

Used when a course, due to its nature, must extend beyond one term. Courses that may use this include internships, practicum, independent study, thesis, graduate projects, research courses, linked-series courses, study abroad, and senior synthesis. This grade is given to the entire class. The course is set up for this grading option at the time it is created.

Each student is responsible for arranging with the instructor to remove the N grade per the schedule outlined in the University Academic Calendar. Once the closing date has passed, re-registration and payment of regular tuition is required to obtain credit for the work completed. Once a degree has been posted, removal of an N grade is not permitted. N Grade and Q Grades Statute of Limitations (75-19)

An N grade is awarded when the coursework is not scheduled for completion until after the quarter closes, e.g. thesis or research courses. As a student, you are responsible for arranging with your professor a deadline in which to complete the coursework prior to the University deadline (see table below). Once the date has passed, re-registration and payment of regular tuition is required to obtain credit for the work completed. Note that those expecting to receive a degree in June are required to clear the “N” grade by the preceding May 1 regardless of when the grade was assigned.

N Grade Received:

Submission deadline:

Summer Term

August 1st of the following calendar year

Fall Term

November 15th of the following calendar year

Spring Term

May 1st of the following calendar year

Q (Suspended Grade)

Used for 6000-level courses in which work is not scheduled for completion until after the quarter closes. The Q grade must be removed within the six-year limit for all the degree coursework. Once the six-year limit has expired, the Q becomes permanent and the student must re-register for the course, paying regular tuition to obtain credit for the work completed.

R (Doctoral Research or Mandatory Registration)

Indicates registration in a required non-credit doctoral research or mandatory registration course. This is a permanent grade that does not affect the grade point average.

I (Incomplete)

A temporary grade indicating that most of the work in the course was acceptable although a critical portion of it was not completed because of illness or other serious circumstances beyond the student's control. During final grading, a default grade is assigned. A default grade is calculated by taking the grade for all work completed and adding a failing grade for work/exams not completed. If the student fails to complete the required work by the published deadline, the "I" will automatically be replaced with this default grade. Incomplete Grades (97-03)

An Incomplete, “I” grade, is a temporary grade assigned by an instructor when a student is unable to complete all course work by the end of the quarter due to illness or other serious circumstances beyond a student’s control.

An “I” grade has no effect on your grade point average, and credit for a course with an “I” grade assigned does not count towards your total number of credits earned.

To Request an "I" Grade:

Consult your instructor before the end of the quarter if you are unable to complete the course due to illness or other serious circumstances beyond your control. If an extension is approved, an “I” grade will be assigned to your transcript at grading time. Your instructor is required to submit a provisional grade along with the “I” grade. The instructor calculates the provisional grade by including all work completed to the date of final attendance plus a failing grade for all work and exams not completed. The provisional grade will be assigned if the instructor does not submit a permanent grade by the deadline to remove the “I” grade.

Be aware of the deadline to remove the “I” grade. The published date is the date that the final grade is due to the Office of the Registrar. Allow sufficient time for your instructor to review your work so that he/she can meet this deadline. The deadline to replace an “I” grade with a permanent grade must now be submitted by the faculty member to the Office of the Registrar by the end of the fourth week of the next quarter.

Note: Once a degree is posted, removal of an “I” grade is not permitted.

To confirm that your "I" grade has been assigned or replaced with a permanent grade, view your unofficial transcript on SU Online.

Per the Incomplete Grades (97-03) policy, a final grade must be submitted by the faculty member to the Office of the Registrar by the end of the fourth week of the next term (see table below). It is your responsibility as a student to have your course work completed and submitted to your professor prior to this deadline to ensure that the faculty member meet the University deadline. If the deadline is not met, the provisional grade that was submitted at the end of the term will be the default grade. The provisional grade is based on the work you have completed.

Term 'I' Grade earned in:

Submission deadline

Spring, Summer or Intersession

Fall Quarter

Fall Quarter

Winter Quarter

Winter Quarter

Spring Quarter

HW(Hardship withdrawal)

Assigned by the Registrar's Office upon official approval of the student's petition to withdraw from all courses for that term due to the death of a family member, catastrophic illness in the family, or an illness/injury to the student that incapacitates.

The dean or dean’s designee will require that the student provide documentation to support his or her request. There is no effect on the grade point average. Tuition refund follows the regular refund policy. Financial aid recipients are advised to check with Student Financial Services before requesting a hardship withdrawal because this action may negatively affect financial aid. Hardship Withdrawal (2012-02)

LW (Petitioned Late Withdrawal)

Each student is limited to three LW grades as an undergraduate and three at the graduate level.

W (Withdrawal)

Assigned by the Registrar's Office when a student has officially withdrawn from a class. If a student stops attending after the drop/add period, does not process a withdrawal form, and does not contact the faculty member, the appropriate grade to assign is "F." Withdrawal (75-22)

A course for which no credit is given. Not available for course numbers 5000-9990.

YW (Audit Withdrawal)

Student registered as an auditor but did not attend through end of course.

Z (Administrative Withdrawal -- Registered, never attended)

Assigned by the instructor to students who registered for a course but never attended or stopped attending and did not drop the course by the end of the drop/add period. Instructors assign this grade during the 10 th day roster check and indicate "never attended" or, if appropriate, the last date of attendance. Returning students are charged a $100 fee for each Z grade earned. Students attending their first quarter at SU will not be charged the fee. *No longer offered at Seattle University.